Cadillac STS Forum - 2005 through 2012 Discussion, Serious oil issue - overfilled the engine in Past Cadillac Vehicle Discussion; So I check my oil maybe once a month. Checked it the other day it was like 1-2 quarts left ...

Serious oil issue - overfilled the engine

So I check my oil maybe once a month. Checked it the other day it was like 1-2 quarts left check today bone dry... Added 7.1 quarts and now it's way over full... So confused need some help don't plan on using the car until I figure out what the heck I'm doing wrong
For the record I changed the oil like 2500 miles ago and have the northstar v8

Re: HELP Serious oil issue

There is only about a quart difference between the top and bottom of the thatched area. If the oil shows at the very bottom of the thatch, that is a quart low. You better drain some oil before you break something.

Ok so I have possibly 5 quarts too much any sugguestions what to do? Should I do an emergency oil change in the driveway or can I drive less than 5 miles? Is it possible to drain some oil and close it back up or would that be insanely messy

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So if the oil is at the very bottom of the dipstick does that mean I only lost 1 quart because that's what started this fiasco. It was at the very bottom and I thought I had lost 5+ quarts of oil so I added a big bottle

Re: HELP Serious oil issue

I would drain it all out and put back in the required amount. Measure how much came out so you know what really went on.
When and if you need to add oil just add a little at a time and recheck the dipstick allowing some time for the oil to run down into the pan.

Yeah I made the mistake of adding it all at once and not checking in between. So the dipstick only measures 1 quart (like between 7-8quart mark) because when I saw the oil so low on the dipstick I thought I had lost 4-6 quarts but I guess losing a quart in 2500 miles isn't the end of the world

1 quart in 2500 miles is right smack in the middle of the GM design curve for oil consumption in a Northstar. Many CF Northstar owners would kill to get that sort of oil economy - particularly the FWD crowd.

Alright so I hope you guys don't tell me I just killed my engine... So I took out all the oil came out to like 13 liters. I then closed it up and put about 6/6.5 quarts in. The oil was mix of brand new oil and 2500mile oil so it was a little dirty. The oil now reads just over the thatched section of the dipstick. I plan on doing a legitamate oil change by the end of August now that I wasted 7 quarts. Well lesson learned.